The trend... 3D, 4D..and 5D

July 2007

Every body talks about it

The world of 3D is making a big move. Major institutions are now investing research in 3D, Spie organisation which has always been in the trend of optoelectronics is now opening the Famous San Jose Meeting 2008 to 3D visualisation in all its forms from Display to measurement and information transfer. Research is mainly focusing on 3D projection and 3D TV . The press most of the time already announce the process, even so the product is far from finished like for Seereal Technologies.

A New market for 3D techniques

Nevertheless some products are already on the market like the 3D TV from Philips, which leads the world with its patented glasses-free 3D TV technology , or the Kiosk of the Fraunhof Institute, an interactive informative display. The 3D cinema which we still need to see with glasses is getting more and more popular within the industry for their special events, although the cost of the 3D digital production and installation runs in the 100.000€. Cheaper versions are proposing Stereoscopic 3D projection system based on a concept; integrating two low cost LCD or DLP projectors to achieve stunning 3D stereo images.

Lenticular technique

Most of these products used Lenticular technique. Other 3D solutions are coming up especially in the area of 3D software and 3D scanning devices to be able to record 3D scenery. Newsight who developed software solutions is one of the leading companies investing in 3D solutions being involved in many of the new development for 3D projection system worked out by Sax3D or Visumotion, as well as Philips. NewSight is a New York based company, commercialising its 3D solutions in the medical, defence, architecture and communications industries.

Future of 3D: Combination of Holography and computer techniques

Holographic video is so far just possible with the Syn4D-Geola printing system The main advantage of the system is the high resolution it offers. Planned for printing process, Syn4D is offered on the market at a very affordable price. The system does not require glasses nor heart the eyes. It works out with standard 3D computer data, digital camera recording system, as well as with 3D scanning captured device. The Seereal technologie working on 3D TV also decided to work out with holography and real time computing. The idea of Seereal is to use holographic encoding which can be ported to commercial graphics boards reducing computation requirements. But full 3D operating TV still needs further progress.

The US Market Analyst, Insight Media, expects that worldwide in 2008, 3D LCD Display will make 204 Million Dollars and in 2011, 325 Millions Dollars. If we consider that presently one 3D LCD display cost around 12.000$ it means that all around the world only 170 00 pieces will be sold next year. This is indeed just a beginning.

Odile Meulien Öhlmann
Chief Editor

Next issue: Interview with Sally Webber, artist